


This Can't Be What Brings You Down

by SilverNoteXIII



Category: Uncharted
Genre: Gen, M/M, Near Death, Slight Nate/Sully
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-10
Updated: 2013-10-10
Packaged: 2017-12-29 00:14:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/998578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverNoteXIII/pseuds/SilverNoteXIII
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Though the ancient village was supposed to be abandoned, Nate and Sully find themselves running from the gun-wielding inhabitants. An escape strategy goes wrong just before they leave the area and Sully can only hope that Nate will make it out alive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Can't Be What Brings You Down

The Zunati village was supposed to be abandoned; no archeologists, no black market smugglers, as empty as it had been for the past one hundred years.

“Where the _hell_ did they get those guns from?!” Nate shouted to Sully over the sound rapid gunfire, avoiding bullets that ricocheted off the trees and trying to outrun he mob of supposedly ancient villagers that was not far behind.

“You're askin' me?! You're the one who said that place was abandoned!!” Sully pulled his gun out of its holster and blind fired behind them mid-run, only managing to take out two of the villagers.

“It _was_ abandoned! Did you see those guys? Half of them crawled out of the dirt like zombies!”

They were running aimlessly, ducking around trees and under branches in hopes they would escape the line of site of the tribe behind them. But the villagers were experts at traversing the land, and ever time Nate or Sully looked back to shoot at them the distance between them was decreasing rapidly.

“Nate!” Sully hissed, lungs burning and heart racing painfully fast, “We're coming back up to that ledge we passed earlier, it's only a ten foot leap into the river, we've got to jump for it.”

“There's gotta be another way!”

“Only if you're willing to die.”

They hesitated when they reached the ledge, the rushing water below almost as menacing as the screaming Sandiggers, rifles, spears and daggers aimed and ready to fire. Nate pulled out his own gun, pointing in the general direction of the villagers in hopes it might scare them enough to slow them down. But they had the advantage, in numbers and in weaponry, there was no way Nate or Sully could kill them on their own.

“Jump kid, jump!” Sully shouted, taking a running leap off the ledge and into the waters below.

The river was icy cold and its currents swept Nate and Sully downstream with a force that almost pulled them under completely. Swimming against the water's flow was nearly impossible, even in attempts to reach the banks.

“Sully!” Nate called out, unable to locate his partner through the water splashing in his eyes and filling his mouth every time he needed to breathe. “Sully!!” He tried again, still getting no response. This wouldn't work, he wouldn't be able to find Sully until he pulled himself out of the water, but even that was proving difficult.

Nate was searching for something to grab onto; a rock, a low hanging branch, anything that would give him leverage to pull himself to the edge of the water. He spotted a cluster of rocks in the approaching distance, large enough to grab onto if angled himself right, if not, it could at least land him a few major bruises.

Unfortunately the collision with the rocks was harder than he anticipated, and the shock ran up his arms and neck line needles on fire. He pulled himself across the rocks, hands slipping and nearly sending him back into the main stream. His feet slipped against the graveled bottom and it was getting to be more tiring to pull himself to land than it had been to keep his head above the water.

“I gotcha kid.” Sully's voice came from above, grabbing Nate's wrist and pulling him out of the water and onto the muddy banks.

Nate rolled onto his back and gasped for breath, body feeling heavy and exhausted. “I thought you'd been swept away.” He said between breaths.

“Nah,” Sully shrugged, “I managed to pull myself out a few yards up stream.

“And you didn't think of helping me out too?!”

“Hey, I pulled your ass out a few seconds ago didn't I? It's not like I left you to drown or something.”

Nate stood wearily, wishing he had a spare set of clothes to get rid of these soaked muddy ones. He looked up at Sully, more than elated to know that neither of them were dead.

“You cut your forehead.” He muttered, reaching up to wipe away the drop of blood seeping from an inch long gash. He looked worried, like the cut was the worst thing in the world even after being chased through the forest at gunpoint.

Sully didn't flinch, just shrugged and tried to give Nate a reassuring smile. “It's nothing, a rock just under the water nicked me across the head shortly after we jumped. Didn't really feel it until I pulled myself out of the river.”

A little blood still flowed out but it was obviously beginning to dry. Still, Nate didn't remove his hand, smoothing his fingers across Sully's cheek, taking in ever detail of the aging skin, seeing all the experience and wisdom Sully held.

“We should try to find the jeep.” Sully muttered, refusing to loose eye contact wit Nate.

“Yeah...” Nate seemed dazed, having little interest in going anywhere.

“Nate.” Sully said again, firmer this time to get Nate's attention.

He dropped his hand and nodded, “Right. Yeah let's go.”

__

 

The jeep, unfortunately, was several miles away from the village where they had gotten ambushed, and after the unpleasant swim down the river, it was now even further and in a direction neither Sully nor Nate were sure of.

“We'll have to head back towards the village.” Nate said trying to fan out the water logged map of the area.

“Are you crazy? I don't want to end up at the barrel end of a dozen shotguns again! There has to be another way.”

“Well there's not. But we can at least go in the same direction as the village and walk at least a quarter mile parallel to that path. Do you remember how far we parked from the village?”

“Uh, not very far. In fact, if we aren't careful, we might find ourselves face to face with a group of those villagers waiting to trap us at the jeep.”

Nate folded the map and put it back into his pocket, “Well lets hope there are only a few of them, we should have enough bullets left between the two of us to take them out.”

“You better hope so kid.”

__

 

The walk back to the jeep was a trek through dense, unpopulated forest that could almost be considered calm and peaceful if it weren't for the threat of death hidden a few miles away. Sully and Nate had traveled through plenty of land like this, but every experience was different, some of the best moments were without guns in foreign places.

“Remember that incident in Thailand?” Sully laughed.

“Yeah I remember it, and I thought we agreed never to bring it up.” Nate sulked.

“Aw come on Nate, you have to admit it was hilarious when you found out that girl was _actually_ –”

“Hey, look! We're back on the trail we took from the jeep. Let's forget about Thailand and focus on getting out of here.”

They only walked for another five minutes when Sully pulled Nate down behind a collection of shrubs.

“Sully what the–”

“Shh Nate,” he pointed between two trees a few yards away where one of the villagers from earlier seemed to be standing guard, shotgun laying on his shoulder and a menacing dagger at his hip. “We've gotta sneak around this guy if we're going to get to the jeep.”

“Let's sneak up on him, knock him out quietly and hide his body in the bushes.” Nate suggested.

“I'll get him.” Sully stayed crouched low to the ground, avoiding the dried leaves that littered the earth and ducking behind trees until he was only a few feet behind the villager.

As threatening as they may have looked, there wasn't much less resistance to being strangled as Sully would have expected. When the body finally went limp, it was only a steps away to drag it beneath some overgrown foliage.

“Good job,” Nate praised as they started walking again.

“Yeah but he couldn't have been the only one. There are more of those guys lingering out here I just know it. Keep your eyes open and your gun ready.”

Somehow, Nate and Sully made it to the jeep without running into anyone else, and while Nate saw it as a good sign, Sully felt that something was about to go wrong.

“Come on Sully quit worrying. Look we made it to the jeep with only one encounter with those ancient villagers. We may have not gotten what we came for but we can always try again.” He stood on the passenger side of the jeep, arms crossed and waiting. “So please, unlock the jeep so we can get the hell out of here.”

Sully looked around the small clearing where they had parked, not seeing anything suspicious in the trees and only hearing the distant sound of native animals. “Alright, alright. You're right we should leave right away.” The moment he pulled the keys out of his pocket a pair of arms wrapped around from behind, hands coming up to cover his mouth and nose.

Immediately Nate pulled out his gun and aiming it at the forehead of the villager. The bullet hit him dead on, and the body fell back with a thud to the dirt floor.

Sully barely had time to catch his breath when another villager leaped out from behind the trees, dagger held high in the air as he charged towards Nate.

Nate too was unable to reposition his gun fast enough, and not a second after he turned around to shoot did the dagger come down with determined force, piercing deep into his abdomen. The villager screamed in victory, giving the knife a final tug upwards towards Nate's chest before running off back into the trees. Sully didn't even bother pulling out his gun, he rushed to Nate's side as the younger man fell to his knees. Blood bloomed across Nate's chest and stomach, soaking the shirt so much it began to drip to the floor.

“Jesus Christ Nate...” Sully scrambled to open the back of the jeep, tossing out a box of mediocre medical supplies. “We gotta get this wrapped up,” He unwound a roll of gauze, starting from the bottom of the wound and wrapping around Nate's torso.

Who would have thought...” Nate chuckled weakly, face twisting in pain, “a stab wound is what finally took me out.”

“Don't talk like that kid, you're gonna make it outta here.” He eyed the dagger still embedded in Nate's skin, “I've gotta take this out Nate, ready?”

Nate nodded, eyes dropping and body feeling heavy.

“Stay with me Nate.” Sully gripped the handle of the knife, his other hand pressed against Nate's back to keep him steady. “One... two...three!”

Nate screamed, hands coming up to clutch and his stomach, wishing the pain would stop. Sully had to pull his arms away to wrap the rest of the wound, hoping the gauze would provide enough pressure for them to make it to a hospital.

“Okay, okay, that's all I can do. Let's get you in the jeep and get back to Tugetti and hopefully we can find someone to fix you up.” He pulled Nate up from the ground and opened the passenger door, setting him inside with a bit of effort.

“It's been great working with you Sully...” Nate mumbled, eyes fluttering closed.

“Don't say that Nate! You're gonna be okay, I promise.”

 

The nearest “town”, if that's what it could be called, was twenty-five miles away and guarded by local military posted at various locations along a decrepit looking wall. The residencies within were worn and faded, patches visible on the rooftops and the crowded sound of children and working parents. Sully drove up to the main gate, flashing his passport in order to get through.

“Where's the hospital? Or doctor or whatever it is you have? Please, my partner is injured and needs medical attention.”

The guard peaked into the car and saw Nate, lying limp and barely breathing. He pulled a radio towards his mouth, shouting in a language Sully didn't take the time to translate and pointed to the center of town, gesturing towards a tall white structure that stood a few feet above the rest of the buildings.

Sully wasted no time, tires screeching and kicking up dirt as he sped down the dry dirt roads. Citizens stood by and stared but seemed to sense the urgency and watched from distant sidelines. When he finally reached the hospital there was a small group of people already waiting, medical supplies ready to be put to use. He parked the jeep and ran to the passenger's side.

“He's been stabbed, and lost a lot of blood.” Sully explained, gingerly pulling Nate out of the seat.

They laid him on a stretcher and rolled him into the building, Sully running by its side the while time, praying that Nate would just wake up and be miraculously healed.

“Sir, you must wait out here.” A nurse with a heavy accent blocked Sully's attempt to enter the operating room.

“No, no look he's my friend, I've known the kid since he was a teenager, you have to let me in there.”

“I sorry sir, but only the doctors and nurses can enter those doors.” She looked sympathetic, trying to offer a reassuring smile but it didn't help soothe the feeling of dread overwhelming Sully. “You can sit here,” she gestured to a row of seats in a waiting room, “if you need anything, let me know.”

Sully sighed and threw himself into one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs. He faced away from the double doors, not wanting to see the doctor when he walked out to tell him that Nate didn't make it.

 

__

 

Sully could have been waiting a few minutes or several hours, but he wouldn't know since he refused to look anywhere other than the grimy looking off-white tiles of the waiting room floor. He could hear the sounds of guests and workers crossing the room and passing through doors, but no one approached him.

“Excuse me sir,” the nurse said, placing her hand on Sully's shoulder to get his attention, “I have news about your friend.”

Sully stood immediately, crowding the nurse, eager for the information. “Please tell me he's okay.”

“Yes sir,” the nurse nodded, “he lost much blood, but the doctors sewed him up and he will be good as new with a few days rest.” She pointed to another set of doors, “you may see him. Room two-seventy-three.”

“Thank you!” Sully rushed out of the waiting room, hurrying down the hallway and nearly knocking down several staff members. “Two-seventy-three.” With a deep breath, he turned the handle and pushed the door open, still wanting to rush in but knowing silence was best if Nate was resting.

The room was small, almost claustrophobic, and almost not having enough space to house the two beds that divided the room. Nate was lying in the bed by a window, blinds drawn and the only sound was the beep of heart monitor.

Sully slowly approached the bed, feeling a wave of relief clashing with overwhelming guilt. He set his hand over Nate's, tightening his grip and holding his breath for any sort of reaction. He knew Nate was alive, that he was going to make it out of this hospital and back home, but it was the hardest thing ever getting over what _could_ have happened.

“Sully...” Nate croaked, throat dry and raspy. His face scrunched in discomfort but he didn't open his eyes.

“Nate!” Sully leaned closer to him, “damn it kid... do you have any idea the kind of stress you put me through today?”

Nate tried to laugh, but it came out strangled and more like a cough. “Sorry Sully... I'll try not to,” he coughed again, “try not to get stabbed again any time soon.”

“I'm gonna hold you to that.” Sully dragged over an extra chair and sat at the bedside. “You're too young, you're supposed to outlive me by a few decades.”

“Nope...I need you to stay with me.”He shifted a bit, trying to be comfortable on the stiff bed and beneath the too-thin sheets. “No dying. Either of us, okay?”

“You got it Nate.” Sully ran his hand across Nate's forehead, brushing back strands of dark brown hair. He leaned over and pressed a light kiss to Nate's tan skin, remembering the sneaky fifteen year old he had met all those years ago in Columbia.

“Love you Sully...” Nate mumbled, turning his head towards Sully's palm and sighing contently.

“Love you too kid.”

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah still way behind on the challenges thing. This prompt was a passionate request from/for my friend because apparently there is not enough Nate/Sully in the internet.


End file.
